Button.



B U T T 0 N (Application filed Dec. 15, 1900.)

(No Model.)

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UNITED STATES 'PATENT EEICE.

ALBERT E. JOB, OF WILKESBARRE, PENNSYLVANIA.

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SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent N o. 675,219, dated May 28, 1901.

Application filed December 15, 1900l Serial No. 40,024. (No model.)

To @ZZ whom t may concern.-

Be it known that I, ALBERT E. JOB, a citizen of the United States, residing at Wilkesbarre, in the county of Luzerne and State of Pennsylvania, haveinvented certain new and useful Improvements in Buttons; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

My invention relates to improvements in buttons and means for securing a button to a garment or fabric and it consists of two members, one of which members is provided with a plurality of headed pins, and the other member is provided with a series of slots having enlarged portions and a spreader for forcing the pins outward, so as to permit them to pass through the enlarged portions of the slots and to spring back and engage the under surface of the material in which the slots are formed, and thus lock the two members of the button together.

The object of the -invention is the production of a button which can be readily applied to a garment or fabric without the necessity of sewing and which when applied will be much more secure than when secured with thread.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure l is a perspective view of a button constructed in accordance with my invention. Fig. 2 is a vertical section through the same and a piece of fabric to which it is secured. Fig. 3 is a perspective view ofone of the members and Fig. 4 is a top plan view of the other 'member, and Fig. 5 is a perspective view showing a slightly-modified manner of forming the engaging pins.

lin the drawings represents one of the members constituting' the button, and 2 represents the other member thereof. The member lis provided with a plurality of engaging pins 3, which latter are provided with heads 4, the same being substantially spear heads and sharpened on their outer ends, so as to facilitate the passage of the pins through the fabric to which the button is applied and the engagement of the heads of the pins with the receiving member of the button. The pins may be`soldered or otherwise secured tothe head or body portion of the member 1, as

shown in Fig. 3, or they may be formed integral, as shown at 5 in Fig. 5.

The member 2, which is the receiving mem ber of the button, is formed, preferably, of an upper and a lower piece 6 and 7, respectively, and secured together at their outer ends in any suitable manner, as shown in Fig. 2, so as to form a space between the two pieces 6 and 7. The piece 6 is formed with an upwardly-eXtending central projection l2,which is preferably conical in vertical cross-section and which I term a spreaden The upper piece 6 is also formed with a series of apertures or slots 9, corresponding in number to the engaging pins provided on the member l and so located as to receive the heads of the pins when said pins are spread, as will be hereinafter described. The slots 9, as is clearly shown in Fig. 4, are enlarged at their outer ends, as at 8, to receive the heads of pins 3 when said pins are spread by the coneshaped spreader l2.

The operation of uniting the members of the button is as follows: The member l, proA vided with the pins, as shown in Fig. 3, is applied to the front or rear face of the fabric, as desired, so that the pins project through the fabric, and the member 2, as shown in Fig. 4, is brought up to and in contact with the heads of the pins 3, with the spreader 6 arranged centrally between the heads, and by pressing the two members l and 2 together between the fingers the spreader 6 will force the pins outward until the heads of the same pass through the enlarged portions 8 of the slots 9, and by removing the 'pressure of the fingers the pins, by reason of their being thin and constructed of metal, will spring back to their normal straight condition, and their heads willengage the under side of the upper plate 6 and will be prevented froin becoming disengaged therefrom, as the more strain there is put upon the members of the button to separate the same the more firmly will the heads of the pins engage the under side of the upper piece 6 of the member 2. Pressing the two members of the button together will have no effect upon their separation, for the reason that the spreader is no longer in a position to act upon the heads of the pins to force them apart.

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Figs. l and 2 show the two members shown in Figs. 3 and 4 as applied to a disk or ordinary button for securing the same upon a garment or fabric. In these figures, l0 represents the button or disk, which is secured to the fabric, and l1 represents the fabric. The operation in securing the disk 0r button l0 to the fabric is preeiseiythe same as is done in securing lthe two members l and 2 to a garment withouttheinterposition of the disk or button 10, except that the member l,with the pin 3, is applied on the outer surface of the disk or button with the pins passing through the holes of the button, as clearly shown in Fig. 2, and the pins extend through the fabric and engage the receiving member 2, as heretofore explained.

From the foregoing description it will be observed that I have produced a very simple and effective button which can be readily applied to a garment without sewing and which when applied will be much more strongly secured than when thread is employed and that it will be impossible for the button to accidentally drop off.

It will be readily seen that when the two members of my improved button are brought together and are in locked engagement they will be at a greater distance apart than during the act of uniting the parts. This results from the fact that the spreader (3 is formed conical and is provided with keyhole-slots formed with their enlarged portions at its base and their narrow portions extending up the sides thereof, whereby said pins may be drawn outwardly from the base of said cone after the parts have been locked together. The provision of keyholeslots is very advantageous, as they permit of said pins being formed with solid heads, whereby strength of the parts may be had. The separating effect of the parts after being locked together as above described provides space for theintervening fabrics and, if desired, for the reception of whatever retaining means may be applied to the button.

Having now described my invention, what `I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

l. A button, comprising in its construction a main body portion, a series of pins having solid, shouldered, engaging, penetrating points, said pins being carried by said main body portion, and an auxiliary member formed with keyhole-slots, and provided with means for spreading or forcing the pins apart as the two members of the button are brought together, whereby the pins will be caused to enter the enlarged portions of the slots at the lowest point of said spreader, and, upon the removal of the pressure of the two members together, to resume their normal, straight condition with their shoulders engaging the inner walls of said spreader at the highest point thereof, substantially as described.

2. A button, comprising in its construction two members, one of which members is provided with a series of pins having sharpened engaging heads, and the other member provided with a spaced or hollow portion and a plurality of slots, having enlarged portions at their lower ends, and also provided with a eentrally-arranged,upwardly-extending,eon ically-shaped spreader, the construction being such that the pins must be forced to the base of the cone in order to enter the said slots, and, when within said slots and freed, will spring together and their shoulders engage thc inner, upper walls of said cone, whereby said members will be farther apart when locked together than while in the 0peration of being engaged, substantially as described.

3. The combination with a button, provided with apertures, of means for securing said but-ton to a fabric, comprising an upper member provided with a plurality of pins having solid, penetrating, shouldered heads, said pins being adapted to pass through said apertures in the button, and a lower conical member provided with keyhole-slots,the large portion of each of said slots being at the base of the cone, and the narrow portion extending up the sides thereof, whereby said pins must be forced to the base of the cone before entering said slots and after entering are free to spring together, thereby making the space between said button and the lower member greater when the parts are locked together than when in the operation of being united, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I hereunto affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

ALBERT E. JOB.

lVitnesses:

ANNA WILLIAMS M. J. BLACK.

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